Communication system

ABSTRACT

A communication system performs wireless communication using electromagnetic field coupling between a transmission coupler and a reception coupler and moves at least one of the transmission coupler and the reception coupler so as to change the position in a predetermined direction of the reception coupler relative to the transmission coupler. In the communication system, the greater the distance between an overlap portion where the transmission coupler and the reception coupler overlap as viewed from a vertical direction to the predetermined direction and an input end of the transmission coupler is, the higher the degree of coupling between the transmission coupler and the reception coupler becomes.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION Field of the Invention

The present invention relates to a technique for performing wirelesscommunication using electromagnetic field coupling.

Description of the Related Art

In recent years, a near-field communication system for performingwireless communication using electromagnetic field coupling betweennearby devices have been developed. Japanese Patent ApplicationLaid-Open No. H8-224232 discusses a computed tomography apparatus inwhich a coupler provided to a rotary frame and a coupler provided to afixed frame are coupled together using the electromagnetic fieldcoupling so that the couplers can wirelessly communicate captured imagedata.

There is a demand for improved communication accuracy in a communicationsystem in which a positional relationship between a transmission-endcoupler and a reception-end coupler for performing wirelesscommunication changes as in the technique discussed in Japanese PatentApplication Laid-Open No. H8-224232. For example, in a case of atransmission-end coupler having a long transmission line, a signal isattenuated in the vicinity of an end portion of the transmission linethat is on the opposite side of a signal input end of the transmissionline. Thus, if a reception-end coupler is located in the vicinity of theend portion, intensity of a received signal becomes lower than athreshold value of a comparator, so that the signal is not correctlyrestored by a reception circuit. To avoid this problem, if an amplitudeof a signal input to the input end of transmission line is increased,noise that is generated in association with the input signal is alsoincreased. As a result, intensity of the received noise becomes higherthan the threshold value of the comparator in the case where thereception-end coupler is located in the vicinity of the input end, sothat the noise is contained in the signal restored by the receptioncircuit.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

According to an aspect of the present invention, a communication systemincludes a first coupler configured to transmit a signal from one endportion to another end portion in a predetermined direction, a secondcoupler that is shorter in length in the predetermined direction thanthe first coupler, a communication control unit configured to controlwireless communication using electromagnetic field coupling between thefirst coupler and the second coupler, and a movement control unitconfigured to move at least one of the first coupler and the secondcoupler so as to change a position in the predetermined direction of thesecond coupler relative to the first coupler, wherein a degree ofcoupling between the first coupler and the second coupler is higher in acase in which a distance between a portion of the first coupleroverlapping with the second coupler as viewed from a vertical directionto the predetermined direction and the one end portion of the firstcoupler is a first distance than the degree of coupling in a case inwhich the distance between a portion of the first coupler overlappingwith the second coupler as viewed from the vertical direction and theone end portion of the first coupler is a second distance that isshorter than the first distance.

Further features of the present invention will become apparent from thefollowing description of exemplary embodiments with reference to theattached drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIGS. 1A and 1B are block diagrams each illustrating an example of aconfiguration of a wireless communication system.

FIGS. 2A and 2B are graphs each illustrating attenuation of a signaltransmitted through a transmission line.

FIGS. 3A and 3B are diagrams illustrating an example of a couplerconfiguration.

FIG. 4 is a graph illustrating a relationship between a facing area ofcouplers and a communication signal.

FIGS. 5A and 5B are block diagrams each illustrating an example of aconfiguration of a wireless communication system.

FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating an example of a coupler configuration.

FIG. 7 is a graph illustrating a relationship between a distance betweencouplers and a communication signal.

FIG. 8 is a diagram illustrating an example of a coupler configuration.

FIG. 9 is a diagram illustrating an example of a configuration ofcouplers and dielectric substrates.

FIG. 10 is a block diagram illustrating an example of a configuration ofa wireless communication system.

FIG. 11 is a diagram illustrating an example of a coupler configuration.

DESCRIPTION OF THE EMBODIMENTS [Configuration of Wireless CommunicationSystem]

An exemplary embodiment of the present invention will be described belowwith reference to the drawings. FIG. 1A illustrates a systemconfiguration of a wireless communication system 100 according to thepresent exemplary embodiment. The wireless communication system 100includes communication apparatuses 101 and 102. The communicationapparatus 102 wirelessly communicates with the communication apparatus101. The communication apparatus 101 includes a transmission circuit103, a transmission coupler 104, a reception circuit 107, a receptioncoupler 108, and a control unit 111. Similarly, the communicationapparatus 102 includes a reception circuit 105, a reception coupler 106,a transmission circuit 109, a transmission coupler 110, and a controlunit 112. The communication apparatuses 101 and 102 may also be firstand second portions of a single apparatus.

The wireless communication system 100 according to the present exemplaryembodiment includes a structure for supporting the communicationapparatuses 101 and 102 to maintain a predetermined positionalrelationship (e.g., positional relationship in which a transmissioncoupler and a reception coupler face each other) between thecommunication apparatuses 101 and 102. More specifically, thecommunication apparatus 101 is a print head portion of a printer and thecommunication apparatus 102 is a main body portion of the printer. Inanother example, the communication apparatus 101 is a line head portionin a factory and the communication apparatus 102 is a rail of a line inthe factory. However, application of the wireless communication system100 is not limited to those described above.

The transmission coupler 104 is coupled with the reception coupler 106using electromagnetic field coupling so that the transmission coupler104 functions as an antenna for establishing wireless communicationbetween the communication apparatuses 101 and 102. The transmissioncoupler 110 is coupled with the reception coupler 108 using theelectromagnetic field coupling so that the transmission coupler 110functions as an antenna for establishing wireless communication betweenthe communication apparatuses 101 and 102. The electromagnetic fieldcoupling in the present exemplary embodiment includes both electricfield coupling and magnetic field coupling. More specifically, wirelesscommunication between the couplers can be performed using the electricfield coupling, the magnetic field coupling, or both.

The control unit 111 of the communication apparatus 101 controls thetransmission circuit 103 to transmit data to the communication apparatus102, and controls the reception circuit 107 to receive data from thecommunication apparatus 102. Similarly, the control unit 112 of thecommunication apparatus 102 controls the transmission circuit 109 totransmit data to the communication apparatus 101, and controls thereception circuit 105 to receive data from the communication apparatus101. More specifically, the control units 111 and 112 performcommunication control so that data is communicated between thecommunication apparatuses 101 and 102. The control unit 111 can controla functional unit (not illustrated) of the communication apparatus 101based on data received by controlling the reception circuit 107.Similarly, the control unit 112 can control a functional unit (notillustrated) of the communication apparatus 102 based on data receivedby controlling the reception circuit 105. Examples of the functionalunits (not illustrated) include a display control unit configured todisplay an image on a display unit based on received data and a transferunit configured to transfer the received data to an external apparatus.

The transmission circuit 103 generates an electric signal based oncontrol performed by the control unit 111 and inputs the electric signalto the transmission coupler 104. Similarly, the transmission circuit 109generates an electric signal based on control performed by the controlunit 112 and inputs the electric signal to the transmission coupler 110.The reception circuit 107 restores a voltage generated at the receptioncoupler 108 using the electromagnetic field coupling in response toinput of an electric signal to the transmission coupler 104 into anelectric signal via a comparator, and transmits the electric signal tothe control unit 111. Similarly, the reception circuit 105 transmits anelectric signal based on a voltage generated at the reception coupler106 to the control unit 112. As described above, the transmissioncircuit 103 and the reception circuit 105 control communication usingthe electromagnetic field coupling between the transmission coupler 104and the reception coupler 106, and the transmission circuit 109 and thereception circuit 107 control communication using the electromagneticfield coupling between the transmission coupler 110 and the receptioncoupler 108.

In the present exemplary embodiment, a case of performing wirelesscommunication using a baseband method via a transmission-end coupler anda reception-end coupler will be described. In the baseband method, sincemodulation and demodulation of an electric signal is unnecessary, acircuit size can be reduced and low-delay communication is performed,but a change in amplitude of a received signal affects communicationaccuracy. However, the communication method is not limited to theabove-described method. For example, carrier communication can beperformed by modulating a carrier wave, which is transmitted from thetransmission coupler 104 to the reception coupler 106, with an electricsignal generated by the transmission circuit 103. While single-endedsignal communication is performed in the present exemplary embodiment,the communication is not limited to the single-ended signalcommunication, and differential signal communication can also beperformed.

A movement control unit 113 moves at least one of the communicationapparatuses 101 and 102 in a predetermined direction to change thepositional relationship between the transmission-end and reception-endcouplers. For example, the movement control unit 113 includes a rail, amotor, and a power source. The rail supports the communication apparatus101. The motor is used to move the communication apparatus 101 along therail. The power source supplies power to the motor. However, theconfiguration of the movement control unit 113 is not limited to theabove-described configuration. The movement control unit 113 candirectly move the transmission coupler 104, the reception coupler 106,or both, instead of moving the entire communication apparatuses 101 and102.

While the communication apparatuses 101 and 102 in FIG. 1A each includetwo couplers, one for transmission and another for reception, at leastone of the communication apparatuses 101 and 102 can include three ormore couplers. Further, the configurations of the communicationapparatuses 101 and 102 are not limited to the configurations thatenable bi-directional communication as illustrated in FIGS. 1A and 1Band can also be configurations for simplex communication in which thecommunication apparatus 101 includes only a coupler for transmission andthe communication apparatus 102 includes only a coupler for reception.Mainly, a configuration (e.g., the transmission circuit 103, thetransmission coupler 104, the reception circuit 105, and the receptioncoupler 106) for transmitting a signal from the communication apparatus101 to the communication apparatus 102 will be described below. However,a configuration for transmitting a signal from the communicationapparatus 102 to the communication apparatus 101 is similar to thebelow-described configuration. The configuration for transmitting asignal from the communication apparatus 101 to the communicationapparatus 102 and the configuration for transmitting a signal from thecommunication apparatus 102 to the communication apparatus 101 do nothave to be the same.

Next, a configuration of the transmission coupler 104 and the receptioncoupler 106 and their positional relationship will be described belowwith reference to FIG. 1B. The transmission coupler 104 is a conductivemember provided to a surface of a dielectric substrate 121, and a ground122, which is a metal member, is provided to an opposite surface of thedielectric substrate 121. The transmission circuit 103 is connected toone end portion (input end) of the transmission coupler 104, and atermination resistor 123 is connected to another end portion of thetransmission coupler 104. If a signal is input from the transmissioncircuit 103 to the input end of the transmission coupler 104, the signalis transmitted in a direction (x-direction in FIG. 1B) toward the otherend portion of the transmission coupler 104. More specifically, thetransmission coupler 104 functions as a signal line of a transmissionline.

The reception coupler 106 is a conductive member provided to a surfaceof a dielectric substrate 131, and a ground 132, which is a metalmember, is provided to an opposite surface of the dielectric substrate131. If a signal flows into the transmission coupler 104, a charge isgenerated by the electromagnetic field coupling at the reception coupler106, and the signal is output via the reception circuit 105 connected tothe reception coupler 106. More specifically, the reception coupler 106functions as an electrode constituting a capacitor. However, theconfiguration of the reception coupler 106 is not limited to theabove-described configuration. Alternatively, the reception circuit 107and a termination resistor can be respectively connected to end portionsof the reception coupler 106, and the reception coupler 106 can functionas a signal line of a transmission line.

The reception coupler 106 is shorter in length in an extension direction(x-direction in FIG. 1B) of the transmission coupler 104 than thetransmission coupler 104. The transmission coupler 104 and the receptioncoupler 106 have a positional relationship in which the transmissioncoupler 104 and the reception coupler 106 overlap at least partiallywhen viewed from a direction (z-direction in FIG. 1B) vertical to thesignal transmission direction of the transmission coupler 104. Themovement control unit 113 changes the relative position of the receptioncoupler 106 with respect to the transmission coupler 104 in the signaltransmission direction (x-direction in FIG. 1B) of the transmissioncoupler 104. For example, the movement control unit 113 moves thereception coupler 106 within a range (from x=0 to x2) in which thereception coupler 106 faces the transmission coupler 104. However, themovement range is not limited to the above-described range, and thereception coupler 106 can be moved only within a partial range above thetransmission coupler 104 or can be moved to the outside of thetransmission coupler 104.

FIG. 2A illustrates a simulation result of wireless communicationbetween the transmission coupler 104 and the reception coupler 106having the configuration illustrated in FIG. 1B. In a graph illustratedin FIG. 2A, the vertical axis represents scattering parameter S21 whichindicates a ratio of received power and transmitted power between thetransmission coupler 104 and the reception coupler 106, and thehorizontal axis represents transmitted/received signal frequency. Adotted line 201 indicates a result of a case in which the receptioncoupler 106 is positioned at x=0 mm (position of the input end of thetransmission coupler 104), whereas a solid line 202 indicates a resultof a case in which the reception coupler 106 is positioned at x=1000 mm.At each of the positions x=0 mm and x=1000 mm, the entire receptioncoupler 106 overlaps the transmission coupler 104 when viewed from thez-direction, and a spacing (distance in the z-direction) between thetransmission coupler 104 and the reception coupler 106 is fixed.

In the simulation, a base material of the dielectric substrate 121 andthe dielectric substrate 131 is glass epoxy (FR4), a substrate thicknessis 1.0 mm, a coupler width is 1.82 mm, and a spacing between thetransmission coupler 104 and the reception coupler 106 is 1.0 mm. Asillustrated in FIG. 2A, a signal received by the reception coupler 106is weaker in a case in which the reception coupler 106 is far from theinput end of the transmission coupler 104 than in a case in which thereception coupler 106 is close to the input end of the transmissioncoupler 104, and a difference between the cases increases at higherfrequencies. This is due to attenuation of the signal transmittedthrough the transmission coupler 104. For example, if the frequency is 1GHz, the intensity of a signal received at the position x=1000 mm islower than the intensity of a signal received at the position x=0 mm by2.75 dB.

FIG. 2B illustrates a simulation result about a signal communicatedbetween the transmission coupler 104 and the reception coupler 106having a similar configuration to that in the simulation illustrated inFIG. 2A. In a graph illustrated in FIG. 2B, the vertical axis representssignal voltage, and the horizontal axis represents elapsed time. Awaveform 203 indicates a waveform of a signal input to the transmissioncoupler 104. A waveform 204 indicates a waveform of a signal output fromthe reception coupler 106 positioned at x=0 mm, and a waveform 205indicates a waveform of a signal output from the reception coupler 106positioned at x=1000 mm. In the simulation, a speed of a digital signalinput to the transmission coupler 104 is 1.0 Gbps, a signal amplitude is0.21 V, and the termination resistor 123 is 50 ohms. As illustrated inFIG. 2B, a voltage generated at the reception coupler 106 positioned atx=1000 mm is 8.8 mV, and this is lower than 18 my, which is a voltagegenerated at the reception coupler 106 positioned at x=0 mm. Thedifference in signal timing between the waveforms 204 and 205 is due toa delay in signal transmission at the transmission coupler 104.

[Coupler Facing Area Adjustment]

An example of a configuration for preventing a change in received signalintensity that is caused by a change in the above-described positionalrelationship between the transmission coupler 104 and the receptioncoupler 106 will be described below. FIG. 3A illustrates a configurationexample of a case in which a direction of the transmission coupler 104is changed from that in FIG. 1B. FIG. 3B illustrates a configurationexample of a case in which a shape of the transmission coupler 104 ischanged from that in FIG. 1B. FIGS. 3A and 3B illustrate thetransmission coupler 104 and the reception coupler 106 viewed from thez-direction, while the dielectric substrate 121 and the ground 122 areomitted. The reception coupler 106 is moved within a movement range 301surrounded by a dotted line.

In the configuration illustrated in FIG. 3A, a movement direction of thereception coupler 106 and the extension direction of the transmissioncoupler 104 are not parallel when viewed from the z-direction. Thus, asthe position of the reception coupler 106 in the x-direction is closerto the input end of the transmission coupler 104, the difference iny-direction between the transmission coupler 104 and the receptioncoupler 106 increases. On the other hand, in the configurationillustrated in FIG. 3B, the width of the transmission coupler 104 in they-direction is not uniform, and the width of the transmission coupler104 is smaller in the vicinity of the input end than in the vicinity ofthe other end portion. Thus, in the configurations illustrated in FIGS.3A and 3B, as the distance (x1 in FIGS. 3A and 3B) between an overlapportion where the transmission coupler 104 and the reception coupler 106overlap when viewed from the z-direction and the input end of thetransmission coupler 104 decreases, an area (facing area) of the overlapportion decreases.

FIG. 4 illustrates a simulation result about wireless communication in acase in which the position of the reception coupler 106 in thex-direction is fixed to x=70 mm while the position of the receptioncoupler 106 in the y-direction is changed from y=0 mm to y=1.0 mm in theconfiguration illustrated in FIG. 1B. Since the transmission coupler 104and the reception coupler 106 have the same width, as the position ofthe reception coupler 106 in the y-direction becomes farther from y=0mm, the facing area of the transmission coupler 104 and the receptioncoupler 106 decreases. The vertical and horizontal axes of the graph inFIG. 4 and the settings about parameters that are not specified hereinare similar to those in the simulation illustrated in FIG. 2A. Asillustrated in FIG. 4, the smaller the facing area of the transmissioncoupler 104 and the reception coupler 106 is, the weaker the signalreceived by the reception coupler 106 becomes. More specifically, thesmaller the facing area is, the lower the degree of coupling between thetransmission coupler 104 and the reception coupler 106 becomes.

As apparent from the result, in the configurations illustrated in FIGS.3A and 3B, as the position of the reception coupler 106 in thex-direction becomes farther from the input end of the transmissioncoupler 104, the degree of coupling between the transmission coupler 104and the reception coupler 106 increases. Thus, with the configurationsillustrated in FIGS. 3A and 3B, a signal received by the receptioncoupler 106 is prevented from being weakened by attenuation of thesignal transmitted through the transmission coupler 104 in the case inwhich the reception coupler 106 is positioned far from the input end ofthe transmission coupler 104. In this way, a change in received signalintensity that is caused by a change in the positional relationshipbetween the transmission coupler 104 and the reception coupler 106 isprevented.

The configuration for adjusting the facing area of the couplers is notlimited to the configurations illustrated in FIGS. 3A and 3B. Forexample, the configurations illustrated in FIGS. 5A and 5B can alsoprevent a change in the received signal intensity, similarly to theconfigurations illustrated in FIGS. 3A and 3B. In FIGS. 5A and 5B, eachcomponent similar to that in FIGS. 1A, 1B, 3A, and 3B is given the samereference numeral. A wireless communication system 500 illustrated inFIG. 5A includes communication apparatuses 501 and 502. Thecommunication apparatus 501 further includes a coupler positiondetection unit 515 and a coupler position control unit 516 in additionto the configuration of the communication apparatus 101 illustrated inFIG. 1A. Similarly, the communication apparatus 502 further includes acoupler position detection unit 513 and a coupler position control unit514 in addition to the configuration of the communication apparatus 102.

The coupler position detection unit 513 detects a relative position ofthe reception coupler 106 to the transmission coupler 104. The couplerposition control unit 514 moves the reception coupler 106 in they-direction based on the relative position detected by the couplerposition detection unit 513 to change the facing area of thetransmission coupler 104 and the reception coupler 106. For example, asillustrated in FIG. 5B if the coupler position detection unit 513detects that the position of the reception coupler 106 in thex-direction is x1, the coupler position control unit 514 moves thereception coupler 106 in the y-direction to y2. On the other hand, ifthe coupler position detection unit 513 detects that the position of thereception coupler 106 in the x-direction is x2, the coupler positioncontrol unit 514 moves the reception coupler 106 in the y-direction toy1.

As described above, the coupler position control unit 514 increases thedifference in position in the y-direction between the positions of thetransmission coupler 104 and the reception coupler 106 as the distancebetween the overlap portion where the transmission coupler 104 and thereception coupler 106 overlap when viewed from the z-direction and theinput end of the transmission coupler 104 becomes shorter. Consequently,as in the configurations illustrated in FIGS. 3A and 3B, as the positionof the reception coupler 106 is closer to the input end of thetransmission coupler 104, the facing area of the couplers decreases, andthe degree of coupling between the transmission coupler 104 and thereception coupler 106 decreases.

While the movement control unit 113 controls the coupler position in thex-direction and the coupler position control unit 514 controls thecoupler position in the y-direction in the example illustrated in FIGS.5A and 5B, the position control is not limited to the control describedabove. Alternatively, the movement control unit 113 or the couplerposition control unit 514 can control the coupler position in both thex- and y-directions. In the method illustrated in FIGS. 5A and 5B, useof the transmission coupler 104 having a special shape as illustrated inFIG. 3B is unnecessary. In the method illustrated in FIGS. 3A and 3B,the coupler position detection unit 513 and the coupler position controlunit 514 are unnecessary, so that the configuration of the communicationsystem can be simplified.

[Adjustment of Spacing Between Couplers]

Another example of a configuration for preventing a change in thereceived signal intensity that is caused by a change in the positionalrelationship between the transmission coupler 104 and the receptioncoupler 106 will be described below. FIG. 6 illustrates an example of aconfiguration in which the movement direction of the reception coupler106 is changed from that in FIG. 1B. FIG. 6 illustrates the transmissioncoupler 104 and the reception coupler 106 viewed from the y-direction,while the dielectric substrate 121 and the ground 122 are omitted. Thereception coupler 106 is moved within a movement range 601.

In the configuration illustrated in FIG. 6, the movement direction ofthe reception coupler 106 and the extension direction of thetransmission coupler 104 are not parallel when viewed from they-direction. Thus, as the position of the reception coupler 106 in thex-direction is closer to the input end of the transmission coupler 104,the spacing between the transmission coupler 104 and the receptioncoupler 106 in the z-direction increases. Herein, the surface of thedielectric substrate 121 to which the transmission coupler 104 isprovided and the movement direction of the reception coupler 106 are notparallel, but the configuration is not limited to the above-describedconfiguration. For example, the dielectric substrate 121 and thereception coupler 106 can be parallel, and a portion of the transmissioncoupler 104 can be provided to an external layer of the dielectricsubstrate 121 and another portion of the transmission coupler 104 can beprovided to an internal layer of the dielectric substrate 121.

FIG. 7 illustrates a simulation result about wireless communication in acase in which the position of the reception coupler 106 in thex-direction is fixed to x=70 mm and the position of the receptioncoupler 106 in the z-direction is changed from z=0.5 mm to z=1.5 mm inthe configuration illustrated in FIG. 1B. The position of thetransmission coupler 104 in the z-direction is z=0 mm, and there is nodifference in position in the v-direction between the transmissioncoupler 104 and the reception coupler 106. The vertical and horizontalaxes of the graph in FIG. 7 and the settings about parameters that arenot specified herein are similar to those in the simulation in FIG. 2A.As illustrated in FIG. 7, the greater the spacing between thetransmission coupler 104 and the reception coupler 106 is, the weakerthe signal received by the reception coupler 106 becomes. Morespecifically, as the spacing between the transmission coupler 104 andthe reception coupler 106 increases, the degree of coupling between thetransmission coupler 104 and the reception coupler 106 decreases.

As apparent from the result, in the configuration illustrated in FIG. 6,the farther the position of the reception coupler 106 in the x-directionis from the input end of the transmission coupler 104, the higher thedegree of coupling between the transmission coupler 104 and thereception coupler 106 becomes. Thus, with the configuration illustratedin FIG. 6, a signal received by the reception coupler 106 is preventedfrom being weakened by attenuation of the signal transmitted through thetransmission coupler 104 in the case in which the reception coupler 106is positioned far from the input end of the transmission coupler 104.More specifically, a change in the received signal intensity that iscaused by a change in the positional relationship between thetransmission coupler 104 and the reception coupler 106 is prevented.

The configuration for adjusting the spacing between the transmissioncoupler 104 and the reception coupler 106 is not limited to theconfiguration illustrated in FIG. 6, and a change in the received signalintensity can also be prevented by the coupler position control unit 514moving the reception coupler 106 in the z-direction in the wirelesscommunication system 500 illustrated in FIGS. 5A and 5B as in theconfiguration illustrated in FIG. 6. For example, if the couplerposition detection unit 513 detects that the position of the receptioncoupler 106 in the x-direction is x1 as in FIG. 8, the coupler positioncontrol unit 514 moves the position of the reception coupler 106 in thez-direction to z2. On the other hand, if the coupler position detectionunit 513 detects that the position of the reception coupler 106 in thex-direction is x2, the coupler position control unit 514 moves theposition of the reception coupler 106 in the z-direction to z1.

As described above, the shorter the distance between the overlap portionwhere the transmission coupler 104 and the reception coupler 106 overlapwhen viewed from the z-direction and the input end of the transmissioncoupler 104 is, the greater the spacing between the transmission coupler104 and the reception coupler 106 in the z-direction is set by thecoupler position control unit 514. Consequently, as in the configurationillustrated in FIG. 6, the closer the reception coupler 106 is to theinput end of the transmission coupler 104, the lower the degree ofcoupling between the transmission coupler 104 and the reception coupler106 becomes. Alternatively, the coupler position control unit 514 canalso control the coupler position in the y- and/or x-direction inaddition to the coupler position in the z-direction.

In the method for adjusting the spacing between the transmission coupler104 and the reception coupler 106 illustrated in FIGS. 6 and 8, use ofthe transmission coupler 104 having a special shape as illustrated inFIG. 3B is unnecessary. Further, the y-direction width of a portion inwhich the transmission coupler 104 and the reception coupler 106 arestored in the communication system 500 is reduced compared to the methodillustrated in FIGS. 3A, 5A, and 5B. On the other hand, in the methodfor adjusting the facing area of the transmission coupler 104 and thereception coupler 106 illustrated in FIGS. 3A, 3B, 5A, and 5B, thez-direction width of the portion in which the transmission coupler 104and the reception coupler 106 are stored in the communication system 500is reduced compared to the method illustrated in FIGS. 6 and 8.

[Adjustment by Dielectric Constant of Substrate]

Another example of a configuration for preventing a change in receivedsignal intensity that is caused by a change in the positionalrelationship between the transmission coupler 104 and the receptioncoupler 106 will be described below. FIG. 9 illustrates an example of aconfiguration in which the dielectric substrate 121 in the configurationillustrated in FIG. 1B is replaced by dielectric substrates 1001 and1002 arranged in the extension direction of the transmission coupler104. More specifically, in the configuration illustrated in FIG. 9, thetransmission coupler 104 is provided on the dielectric substrates 1001and 1002. Each component similar to that in FIG. 1B is given the samereference numeral.

The dielectric substrate 1001 located closer to the input end of thetransmission coupler 104 has a higher dielectric constant than that ofthe dielectric substrate 1002 located farther from the input end of thetransmission coupler 104. Thus, in a case in which the reception coupler106 overlaps a portion of the transmission coupler 104 that is providedon the dielectric substrate 1001 when the reception coupler 106 and thetransmission coupler 104 are viewed from the z-direction (e.g., case inwhich the position of the reception coupler 106 in the x-direction isx1), the degree of coupling between the transmission coupler 104 and thereception coupler 106 is low. In contrast, in a case in which thereception coupler 106 overlaps a portion of the transmission coupler 104that is provided on the dielectric substrate 1002 when the receptioncoupler 106 and the transmission coupler 104 are viewed from thez-direction (e.g., case in which the position of the reception coupler106 in the x-direction is x2), the degree of coupling between thetransmission coupler 104 and the reception coupler 106 is high.

Thus, with the configuration illustrated in FIG. 9, a signal received bythe reception coupler 106 is prevented from being weakened byattenuation of the signal transmitted through the transmission coupler104 in the case in which the reception coupler 106 is positioned farfrom the input end of the transmission coupler 104. More specifically, achange in the received signal intensity that is caused by a change inthe positional relationship between the transmission coupler 104 and thereception coupler 106 is prevented. Herein, the dielectric substrate onwhich the transmission coupler 104 is provided includes two portionseach having a different dielectric constant in the example illustratedin FIG. 9. However, the configuration is not limited to that illustratedin FIG. 9, and the dielectric substrate can include three or moreportions each having a different dielectric constant. In the methodillustrated in FIG. 9, use of the transmission coupler 104 having aspecial shape as illustrated in FIG. 3B is unnecessary. Further, theportion in which the transmission coupler 104 and the reception coupler106 are stored in the communication system 500 is small compared to thatin the method illustrated in FIGS. 3A, 5A, 5B, 6, and 8.

As described above with reference to FIGS. 1 to 9, the communicationsystem according to the present exemplary embodiment includes thetransmission coupler 104 that transmits a signal from one end portion(input end) to the other end portion in the x-direction, and thereception coupler 106 that is shorter in length in the x-direction thanthe transmission coupler 104. The communication system further includesthe transmission circuit 103 and the reception circuit 105 that controlwireless communication using the electromagnetic field coupling betweenthe transmission coupler 104 and the reception coupler 106. Thecommunication system further includes the movement control unit 113 thatmoves at least one of the transmission coupler 104 and the receptioncoupler 106 so as to change the position of the reception coupler 106relative to the transmission coupler 104 in the x-direction. In thecommunication system, the greater the distance between the overlapportion where the transmission coupler 104 and the reception coupler 106overlap when viewed from the z-direction vertical to the x-direction andthe input end of the transmission coupler 104 is, the higher the degreeof coupling between the transmission coupler 104 and the receptioncoupler 106 becomes.

With the above-described structure, a change in the received signalintensity that is caused by a change in the positional relationshipbetween the transmission coupler 104 and the reception coupler 106 canbe prevented. Thus, an increase in noise in a signal received in thecase in which the reception coupler 106 is located in the vicinity ofthe input end of the transmission coupler 104 is prevented, and a signalreceived in the case in which the reception coupler 106 is located inthe vicinity of the opposite end portion of the transmission coupler 104with respect to the input end is prevented from becoming excessivelyweak. As a result, communication accuracy of the communication system inwhich the positional relationship between the transmission coupler 104and the reception coupler 106 for performing wireless communicationchanges is improved.

The degree of coupling between the transmission coupler 104 and thereception coupler 106 does not necessarily increase linearly as thedistance of the reception coupler 106 from the input end of thetransmission coupler 104 increases. For example, the facing area of thetransmission coupler 104 and the reception coupler 106 can be smaller ina case in which the position of the reception coupler 106 in thex-direction is within a first range in the configurations illustrated inFIGS. 3A, 3B, 5A, and 5B than in a case in which the position thereof inthe x-direction is within a second range that is closer to the input endthan the first range, and the facing area in each of the ranges can befixed. Similarly, in a case in which the position of the receptioncoupler 106 in the x-direction is within a predetermined range in theconfigurations illustrated in FIGS. 6 and 8, the spacing between thetransmission coupler 104 and the reception coupler 106 can be fixed.

[Adjustment by Signal Amplitude Control]

While the configuration for changing the degree of coupling between thetransmission coupler 104 and the reception coupler 106 has beendescribed above, there is described an example of a configuration forchanging a signal amplitude to prevent a change in the received signalintensity that is caused by a change in the positional relationshipbetween the transmission coupler 104 and the reception coupler 106. InFIG. 10, a wireless communication system 900 includes communicationapparatuses 901 and 902. The communication apparatus 901 includes acoupler position detection unit 915 in addition to the configuration ofthe communication apparatus 101 illustrated in FIG. 1A. Similarly, thecommunication apparatus 902 includes a coupler position detection unit913 in addition to the configuration of the communication apparatus 102.The configurations of the transmission coupler 104 and the receptioncoupler 106 are similar to those illustrated in FIG. 1B.

The coupler position detection unit 915 detects the relative position ofthe reception coupler 106 to the transmission coupler 104. The controlunit 111 changes an amplitude of a signal input from the transmissioncircuit 103 to the transmission coupler 104 based on the relativeposition detected by the coupler position detection unit 915. Forexample, in a case in which the coupler position detection unit 915detects that the position of the reception coupler 106 in thex-direction is x2 in FIG. 1B, a signal with an amplitude amplifiedcompared to an amplitude in a case in which the coupler positiondetection unit 915 detects that the position is x1 is input to the inputend of the transmission coupler 104.

As described above, in the wireless communication system 900, thefarther the overlap portion where the transmission coupler 104 and thereception coupler 106 overlap when viewed from the z-direction is fromthe input end of the transmission coupler 104, the larger the amplitudeof a signal input from the transmission circuit 103 to the transmissioncoupler 104 is set. Thus, with the configuration illustrated in FIG. 10,a signal received by the reception coupler 106 is prevented from beingweakened by attenuation of the signal transmitted through thetransmission coupler 104 in the case in which the reception coupler 106is positioned far from the input end of the transmission coupler 104. Inthis way, a change in the received signal intensity that is caused by achange in the positional relationship between the transmission coupler104 and the reception coupler 106 is prevented and, as a result,communication accuracy is improved.

Amplification or attenuation of the amplitude of an input signal by thetransmission circuit 103 can be performed by either hardware orsoftware. In place of or in combination with the control of theamplitude of an input signal by the transmission circuit 103, thereception circuit 105 can amplify or attenuate the amplitude of a signaloutput from the reception coupler 106. Further, the control unit 111 cancontrol a threshold value of a comparator for processing a signal thatis output from the reception coupler 106 in the reception circuit 105based on the relative position detected by the coupler positiondetection unit 915. For example, the farther the overlap portion wherethe transmission coupler 104 and the reception coupler 106 overlap whenviewed from the z-direction is from the input end of the transmissioncoupler 104, the lower the threshold value of the comparator of thereception circuit 105 is set. This method also provides a similar effectto that provided by the above-described method in which the amplitude iscontrolled. Further, the coupler position detection unit 915 configuredto detect the relative positions of the transmission coupler 104 and thereception coupler 106 can be included not in the communication apparatus901 but in the communication apparatus 902, and a result of detection bythe coupler position detection unit 915 can be transmitted from thecommunication apparatus 902 to the communication apparatus 901.

In the method illustrated in FIG. 10, use of the transmission coupler104 having a special shape as illustrated in FIG. 3B is unnecessary, anduse of the plurality of different dielectric substrates as illustratedin FIG. 9 is also unnecessary. The portion in which the transmissioncoupler 104 and the reception coupler 106 are stored in thecommunication system 900 is smaller than that in the methods illustratedin FIGS. 3A, 5A, 5B, 6, and 8. On the other hand, in the above-describedmethod for adjusting the degree of coupling between the transmissioncoupler 104 and the reception coupler 106, precise control of the signalamplitude or the threshold value of the comparator is unnecessary, sothat the configuration of the communication system can be simplified.

While the transmission coupler 104 is plate-shaped and a signal istransmitted on the transmission coupler 104 in a direction parallel to asurface of the transmission coupler 104 in the above description withreference to FIGS. 1 to 10, the shape of the transmission coupler 104 isnot limited to that described above. For example, as illustrated in FIG.11, the transmission coupler 104 can be ring-shaped, and a signal can betransmitted on the transmission coupler 104 in a circumferentialdirection of the transmission coupler 104. The movement control unit 113can move at least one of the transmission coupler 104 and the receptioncoupler 106 in the circumferential direction of the transmission coupler104. A communication system having such a configuration is applicableto, for example, a computed tomography apparatus. More specifically, thetransmission coupler 104 and the reception coupler 106 are respectivelymounted on fixed and rotary portions of the apparatus so that the rotaryportion can communicate with the fixed portion while rotating and movingrelative to the fixed portion. In this configuration, each of theabove-described methods for preventing a change in the received signalintensity that is caused by a change in the positional relationshipbetween the transmission coupler 104 and the reception coupler 106 isalso applicable.

While a signal transmitted from the transmission coupler 104 is receivedby the reception coupler 106 that is shorter in length in thex-direction than the transmission coupler 104, in the above description,configurations of the transmission-end and the reception-end couplerscan be switched. More specifically, a signal can be input to thereception coupler 106 illustrated in FIGS. 1 to 11 so that the receptioncoupler 106 is used as a transmission-end coupler, and the transmissioncoupler 104 can be used as a reception-end coupler to receive thesignal. In this case, an effect similar to that of the above-describedexemplary embodiment can be obtained.

The above-described methods for preventing a change in the receivedsignal intensity that is caused by a change in the positionalrelationship between the transmission coupler 104 and the receptioncoupler 106 can be combined. For example, the spacing between thetransmission coupler 104 and the reception coupler 106 can be increasedand the facing area of the transmission coupler 104 and the receptioncoupler 106 can be reduced as the reception coupler 106 becomes closerto the input end of the transmission coupler 104. Further, in this case,the plurality of dielectric substrates each having a differentdielectric constant can be used, and/or an amplitude of the input signalcan be controlled. In this way, a change in the received signalintensity is further reduced.

According to the above-described exemplary embodiment, the communicationaccuracy is improved in a communication system in which the positionalrelationship between the transmission-end coupler and the reception-endcoupler for performing wireless communication changes.

While the present invention has been described with reference toexemplary embodiments, it is to be understood that the invention is notlimited to the disclosed exemplary embodiments. The scope of thefollowing claims is to be accorded the broadest interpretation so as toencompass all such modifications and equivalent structures andfunctions.

This application claims the benefit of Japanese Patent Application No.2018-196232, filed Oct. 17, 2018, which is hereby incorporated byreference herein in its entirety.

What is claimed is:
 1. A communication system comprising: a first coupler configured to transmit a signal from one end portion to another end portion in a predetermined direction; a second coupler that is shorter in length in the predetermined direction than the first coupler; a communication control unit configured to control wireless communication using electromagnetic field coupling between the first coupler and the second coupler; and a movement control unit configured to move at least one of the first coupler and the second coupler so as to change a position in the predetermined direction of the second coupler relative to the first coupler, wherein a degree of coupling between the first coupler and the second coupler is higher in a case in which a distance between a portion of the first coupler overlapping with the second coupler as viewed from a vertical direction to the predetermined direction and the one end portion of the first coupler is a first distance than the degree of coupling in a case in which the distance between a portion of the first coupler overlapping with the second coupler as viewed from the vertical direction and the one end portion of the first coupler is a second distance that is shorter than the first distance.
 2. The communication system according to claim 1, wherein a spacing between the first coupler and the second coupler is smaller in the case in which the distance between the overlap portion where the first coupler and the second coupler overlap as viewed from the vertical direction and the one end portion of the first coupler is the first distance than the spacing in the case in which the distance between the overlap portion where the first coupler and the second coupler overlap as viewed from the vertical direction and the one end portion of the first coupler is the second distance.
 3. The communication system according to claim 1, wherein an area of the overlap portion is larger in the case in which the distance between the overlap portion where the first coupler and the second coupler overlap as viewed from the vertical direction and the one end portion of the first coupler is the first distance than the area in the case in which the distance between the overlap portion where the first coupler and the second coupler overlap as viewed from the vertical direction and the one end portion of the first coupler is the second distance.
 4. The communication system according to claim 1, wherein a width of the other end portion of the first coupler is larger than a width of the one end portion of the first coupler.
 5. The communication system according to claim 1, wherein the first coupler is provided to a first substrate and a second substrate that are arranged in the predetermined direction, wherein the first substrate is farther from the one end portion of the first coupler in the predetermined direction than the second substrate, and wherein a dielectric constant of the first substrate is lower than a dielectric constant of the second substrate.
 6. The communication system according to claim 1, wherein the first coupler is plate-shaped, and wherein the predetermined direction is a direction that is parallel to a surface of the first coupler.
 7. The communication system according to claim 1, wherein the first coupler is ring-shaped, and wherein the predetermined direction is a circumferential direction of the first coupler.
 8. The communication system according to claim 1, wherein the movement control unit moves at least one of the first coupler and the second coupler in the predetermined direction.
 9. The communication system according to claim 1, wherein the movement control unit moves at least one of the first coupler and the second coupler so as to change a position of the second coupler relative to the first coupler in the predetermined direction and a position of the second coupler relative to the first coupler in a vertical direction to the predetermined direction.
 10. The communication system according to claim 1, wherein the communication control unit controls wireless communication performed using a baseband method via the first coupler and the second coupler.
 11. A communication system comprising: a first coupler configured to transmit a signal from one end portion to another end portion in a predetermined direction; a second coupler that is shorter in length in the predetermined direction than the first coupler; a communication control unit configured to control wireless communication using electromagnetic field coupling between the first coupler and the second coupler; and a movement control unit configured to move at least one of the first coupler and the second coupler so as to change a position in the predetermined direction of the second coupler relative to the first coupler, wherein an amplitude of a signal input to the first coupler by the communication control unit is greater in a case in which a distance between a portion of the first coupler overlapping with the second coupler as viewed from a vertical direction to the predetermined direction and the one end portion of the first coupler is a first distance than the amplitude of a signal input to the first coupler in a case in which the distance between a portion of the first coupler overlapping with the second coupler as viewed from the vertical direction and the one end portion of the first coupler is a second distance that is shorter than the first distance.
 12. The communication system according to claim 11, wherein the first coupler is plate-shaped, and wherein the predetermined direction is a direction that is parallel to a surface of the first coupler.
 13. The communication system according to claim 11, wherein the first coupler is ring-shaped, and wherein the predetermined direction is a circumferential direction of the first coupler.
 14. The communication system according to claim 11, wherein the movement control unit moves at least one of the first coupler and the second coupler in the predetermined direction.
 15. The communication system according to claim 11, wherein the movement control unit moves at least one of the first coupler and the second coupler so as to change a position of the second coupler relative to the first coupler in the predetermined direction and a position of the second coupler relative to the first coupler in a vertical direction to the predetermined direction.
 16. A communication system comprising: a first coupler configured to transmit a signal from one end portion to another end portion in a predetermined direction; a second coupler that is shorter in length in the predetermined direction than the first coupler; a communication control unit configured to control wireless communication using electromagnetic field coupling between the first coupler and the second coupler; and a movement control unit configured to move at least one of the first coupler and the second coupler so as to change a position in the predetermined direction of the second coupler relative to the first coupler, wherein a threshold value of a comparator for processing a signal output from the second coupler is smaller in a case in which a distance between a portion of the first coupler overlapping with the second coupler as viewed from a vertical direction to the predetermined direction and the one end portion of the first coupler is a first distance than the threshold value in a case in which the distance between a portion of the first coupler overlapping with the overlap portion where the first coupler and the second coupler as viewed from the vertical direction and the one end portion of the first coupler is a second distance that is shorter than the first distance.
 17. The communication system according to claim 16, wherein the first coupler is plate-shaped, and wherein the predetermined direction is a direction that is parallel to a surface of the first coupler.
 18. The communication system according to claim 16, wherein the first coupler is ring-shaped, and wherein the predetermined direction is a circumferential direction of the first coupler.
 19. The communication system according to claim 16, wherein the movement control unit moves at least one of the first coupler and the second coupler in the predetermined direction.
 20. The communication system according to claim 16, wherein the movement control unit moves at least one of the first coupler and the second coupler so as to change a position of the second coupler relative to the first coupler in the predetermined direction and a position of the second coupler relative to the first coupler in a vertical direction to the predetermined direction. 